Affordable homes coming up

The state government together with the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) will carry out eight affordable housing projects, said state Housing, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo.

Jagdeep Singh said the provision of affordable housing was a paramount consideration and a priority for the state government.

“The statement by (state Umno secretary) Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir that affordable housing was not a priority for Penang is unfounded and without basis.

He was responding to a news report quoting Musa as saying that in Penang and Selangor, the young of the middle and low-income classes were unable to purchase homes as property prices had skyrocketed.

Musa had said this after attending the state National Drug Agency’s Hari Raya open house in Penang on Wednesday.

Jagdeep Singh said the commencement of work on the Teluk Kumbar project was scheduled to be end of this year.

“Apart from this, from 2008 until June 2013, planning permission for 11,910 low-cost housing units and 7,776 low medium-cost units have been approved and are in the process of being built by the private sector,” he said.

“The state government has also implemented a policy whereby developers of housing projects will have to allocate at least 5% units costing not more than RM200,000, 15% units not costing more than RM300,000 and 5% units not costing more than RM400,000 for those eligible under this policy,” he added.

He also said the Selection Process Enhancement Committee now sits at least once a week to select applicants for low-cost and low medium-cost units so as to reduce the number of applicants on the waiting list. - By The Star